29 Mar 2024
Thursday 14 January 2016 - 10:37
Story Code : 196794

US sailors drifting into Iran waters not hostile: Spokesman



Irans Foreign Ministry spokesman says the drifting of the US vessels into Irans territorial waters was nohostile act.

It was established that their presence in [Iran's] sectorwas due to technical problems with the navigation systems of the US vessels, HosseinJaberi Ansari said on Wednesday.

He added that the US vessels were led out of Iran's territory after it was proven thatthe "entry of the vessels hadnot been a hostile act."

On Wednesday, Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi, the commander of Irans Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy, said two US Navy crafts carrying 10 Marines had on Tuesday reached three miles into the waters surrounding the Farsi Island in the Persian Gulf.

However, the IRGC released the sailors on Wednesday, saying in a statement that "after technical and operational examinations done in interaction with the countrys relevant political and national security authorities and the establishment of the inadvertent and unintentional nature of the entry by the American Navy crafts and their apology, a decision was made to free them.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif expressed his pleasure with the swift diplomatic resolution of the case of US sailors, hoping that the issue would become a model for future cases.

(I am) happy to see dialog and respect, not threats and impetuousness, swiftly resolved the (US) sailors episode, Zarif said in a post in his Twitter account. Lets learn from this latest example, he added.

US Secretary of State John Kerry thanked Iranian authorities for their cooperation in the release of US Navy sailors.

Kerry who was addressing a press briefing at the National Defense University in Washington DC. said the peaceful resolution of the issue was a testament to the critical role that diplomacy plays in keeping the US safe.

By Press TV

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